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Wednesday, April 25, 2012

How to Add Social Icons to Your Blogger Blog

Do you want to add social media icons to your blog so that readers can find you elsewhere on the web? Here are step-by-step instructions.

Overview: You will add an "HTML/Java Script" gadget to your sidebar, and these instructions will walk you through writing the HTML code. I'm no HTML expert; if I can do it, so can you. The idea is to link publicly available images of social media icons (which you will host on Photobucket) to your own social media pages.

Step 3: Write HTML code that will link these images to your social sites.

Open a separate text file or word document to write your code.

The code for each icon will follow the format below (in this example, the red link is my Twitter page and the blue link is my Twitter icon on Photobucket). The rest of the steps will show you how to create this code.

To get this code, go to your Photobucket account. Go to the image you want on Photobucket (e.g., Twitter icon), click on it, and you will see a box like this on the right part of the page. Click your cursor inside the third box that says "HTML code." This will copy the code, but you will need to tweak it a bit.

click on the third line (HTML code)

Paste the code into your working document. It will look like this:

Replace the first link (the one highlighted in red) with your social media link. To get your social media link, go to your site (Facebook Fan page, Twitter profile, etc.) and copy the address from the browser bar. Your finished code for one social icon will look like my Twitter code above.

Repeat this process for each social icon you want to use. If you have three icons, Facebook, Twitter, and G+, you will have three paragraphs in your code. At the end of this post are instructions for a more sophisticated look and specific instructions for an RSS feed icon.

Copy the entire finished code. You will be pasting this into your Blogger gadget.

Step 4: Post the code onto your blog.

In Blogger, go to Layout --> Add a Gadget. I recommend placing the gadget in the upper part of your sidebar.

Find and select the HTML/Java Script gadget.

Paste your code into the Content box. You can leave the title blank, or you can add a title like, "Find me on the Internet" or whatever you want to say about your icons. I think most people understand what the icons mean, so I don't use a title.

Save and you're done. Admire it on your page. (And check to see that the links work).

Advanced Tutorial

1. Code for RSS Link

Before adding an RSS icon, you need to create an RSS feed. (An RSS feed is a way to syndicate your content. Readers subscribe to your feed and your posts show up in their readers of choice).

To create/find the link for your RSS feed, go to www.feedburner.com. It may ask you to sign in with your Google account. Look for a box that will offer to burn a feed for you instantly. Insert your Blogger address and hit "Next." You will then see a screen like this:

Pick a name for your feed address, then hit "Next." Feedburner will confirm that your feed address is "http://feed.feedburner.com/nameyoupicked." This is the link you use for your RSS icon (it will go where the red link was in the HTML code).

2. Create a text that appears when someone hovers over your icon.

If you hover over the icons on my website, you will get a message like, "Follow me on Twitter" or "Follow me on Pinterest." To get this effect, add the following (purple) text to your HTML code:

Change the label as appropriate for each social media icon.

3. Add spaces between your icons.

If you find the icons look too squished together, you can add some space between each icon by adding the following at the top of your code. Play around with the number of pixels to change the spacing (this code sets it at 3px):

4. Center your icons.If you want to center your icons, add the blue bolded code in front of your first paragraph (your first set of icons):

Hope this has been helpful. If you're an HTML expert and have an easier way to do this, please let me know. Let me know if you have any questions or issues with these instructions. Thanks!

If you Google, "Pinterest social icons," you should find some square icons. The round one I made from the one that Pinterest provides (I used Photoshop to scale it down to the same size as the other icons). If you would like a copy of it, please send me a note in the "contact me" section, and I'll email it to you.

Yes, go to your Twitter home page and copy the URL that is in the browser bar (that way you make sure it is an active link that goes to your page. For example, when I type, http://www.twitter.com/username, the address automatically changes it to a secure https). That address is what replaces the red coding. Make sure you keep everything else the same (all carets, quote marks, etc). P.S. You can contact me through the "contact me" page with any additional questions.

Thank you so much for doing this tutorial!!! So easy! However my buttons are HUGE. When I saved them they weren't that big but on my blog they are in a colomn rather than a row, I guess because there isn't enough room. I don't know enough about HTML to figure out how to fix that. Any suggestions?

What may have happened is that you downloaded the buttons in a large size. Button designers will offer different sizes (64x64, 32x32, etc.) The size I use is 32 x 32 pixel, which is pretty small. If you have Photoshop, you can resize your images. Otherwise, try going back to your downloaded icons and see if there are other smaller sizes available. Good luck!

I tried doing this and my site looks great with the icons, but for some reason it keeps trying to direct each link to a page ON my blog and says that the site is not found. I followed your instructions exactly! What went wrong?

Hi Mina, Thanks for stopping by. It's not a full tutorial, but if you look above at my advanced tip #2 ("Create text that will appear when someone hovers over for icon"), you will see the code that I use for my buttons to create that effect. Just add the text that is highlighted in purple into your HTML code, and change the text appropriately for each type of button. Good luck.

Thanks so much! I've tried so many different ways, write-ups, tutorials, etc on how to do this with a specific set of social media icons that I wanted to use on my blog ... your tutorial was the magic one. So easy to follow! Def'tly going to take a look around your blog to see what other helpful hints you have shared. best-jenn

I don't know how to do it specifically. When I test my own social icon buttons and some of the other ones from the people who commented here, they open up in a new window for me. Perhaps it has to do with your general Blogger settings?

Hi, great tutorial but for some reason, I seem to be having some problems. I followed your instructions to the T but the hover box will only display one word of my text and when i put the quotation marks over the whole of my text i.e "follow me on twitter" it won't display any of the text. I don't know what has gone wrong. Please can you help? My blog is:

The categories widget is actually the "Labels" widget. When you write a post, make sure you add labels to each post. (At the side of the draft page, there is a column titled "Post settings," click the "Labels" and write any keywords you want about the post, whether it's a category or a topic). Then in the Layout section, click "Add a Widget" and find the "Labels" widget. When that opens, you can change the title of the widget (I changed it to "Categories" which I thought was more descriptive than "Labels". You can call it anything, from "topics" to "index" etc). Then just click the options you want (you can show all labels, or selected labels, and you can list them or feature them as a cloud, as I do). Blogger automatically gathers the information from all of your posts and will display your labels for you. Hope this helps.

I started this blog in April 2010, but didn't really start to post seriously and consistently until about a year and a half later in September 2011. At that time, I took several steps (which I describe in my post, Five Ways to Increase Your Blog views, http://www.sylvialiuland.com/2012/10/how-to-increase-your-blogs-page-views.html) that immediately started getting me more views. It still took a year of steady work to keep getting more views on a slow, incremental basis.

Thanks for the update. As I understand it, Feedburner still works but Google may be phasing it out, starting by eliminating some support for developers. So far, it still works for a basic blogger's purposes, but the writing is probably on the wall that it may be on the way out.

You my new friend are amazing! I swear I have tried a million different HTML codes and NOTHING worked except yours! I have no idea if it was me or them but yours was super easy and you're the best! Thanks so much!

Thank you so much for the tutorial, I was wondering if you have an extra piece of code for aligning them to the center, I manage to have the space between them with the explanation you wrote. Can you tell me how to center them on the sidebar. Thank you! http://ushiche.blogspot.com

Hi Marielle,Your blog looks great. I wasn't able to put the suggested HTML text in these comments, so I edited the article. Go to the end of the "Advanced Tutorial" section for instructions on how to align them to the center.Thanks for stopping by!

Sylvia, thank you so very much for taking the time to write about this topic. This well thought out post is very clear, concise and informative. The only icon code I needed to find elsewhere was for email (just in case you would like to add that instruction to your collection. I appreciated this; my Blogger blog looks so much better now!

Sylvia, Thank you so so much for your help with this!!I looked at different website on how to add the social buttons on blogger, I and can honestly say that your post was the easiest, best explained and definitely most helpful!!!I'm really happy with the way my icons look, and although your suggestions were really good ones, I would like to share the website where I found mine, just in case other bloggers are interested! ;)The icons are simple, but come in all different colors which is pretty neat! http://www.carrieloves.com/2012/12/free-social-media-icons-updated/

I didn't think it was possible, but I did it! Thank you for your easy to follow instructions! I don't think I love the one's I picked but now that I know I can do it, I can find some that might look even better, I kind of like the one's that say follow me along side the icon. Thanks again!Here's my blog www.reallifeformom.blogspot.ca

I tried to contact you by email, but it didn't work. The issue is that you are using a dynamic template, and I don't think they support the HTML widget. If you use a static template like Simple, your code works fine. Sorry I can't be of more help.

Great information......I want to tell you that I am new in the field of blogging so I don't know much.Can you please tell me how I can add categories and sub categories to my blog..Mail me at ashishrana941@gmail.comThank you

I followed your instructions step by step but I don't see any icons on my blog... I'm new at this.. stylishego.blogspot.com. Please help! I adore your blog! Thanks for providing incredible for information for new bloggers as myself!

I followed these instructions, because I am trying to amp up my blog, but I can't figure out what I am doing wrong. My issue is that when I go to add a gadget, I get "gadgets" "more gadgets" and "add your own". I go to the add your own, and the thing is an http:// and then the code I want to put in. When I put in my codes it says that my link contains illegal characters.... I'm not sure what I am doing wrong! Can you help? Thanks

you add HTML gadgets that already exist in "Basic" section, not "add your own", i just installing my icons as well and it's working like a charm: my first icon can be seen here: http://ciupercomania.blogspot.ro/but as i stay and thinking ... i think there is a more easy way to add our icons, without image sharing sites and such. how? simply post as image (with gadget >>> image) and hide a link behind. i'm mistaken anything?

I love your article, Today I decide to social icon on my blog, and searching many query on google finally I found you post, truly your post prove very helpful and i easily add social icon on my blog by help of your article ..

I see other blogs with the icons on the tabs row. I want to do the same, but I don't know how. Do you know by any chance? http://www.thewonderforest.com/p/contact.html For example, this blog right here.

I tried this however, I got 3 issues: the icon is too big, the width="50px" etc.. shows right next to the icon on my page, and although I put my facebook URL in the code it doesn't go to my facebook page instead it goes to my Blog site, although I am 101% sure I put my facebook url, I did it many times too. Still didn't work, can do I do?